Oh no, the bugs are back.
Amplitude has revealed the third playable faction for its upcoming fantasy 4X strategy game Endless Legend 2. Please welcome the Necrophage. Not that they will acknowledge the welcome, as the insectoid swarm carries over that one trait they had from Endless Legend—there’s no diplomacy option against these bugs. They only know war, so that they can continue consuming the planet.
The Necrophage on Saiadha looks and plays a bit different than their Aurigan brethrens. Because technically, it’s not the same Necrophage from Endless Legend, it’s a different hive swarm that has adapted to Endless Legend 2’s setting Saiadha, that’s lore justification for some changes to this returning faction.
Necrophage is now a one-city faction, a change to let players not meddle much in the micro game of city-building (which they don’t get much bonuses of) and instead double down deep into building an army swarm to overwhelm opponents.
Speaking of deep, the Necrophage can tunnel down and move between burrows. Burrows and Hives are how they can claim land, though development is only done in that one city. And with cheap base units (you get a free unit each time you win a battle), these bugs can swarm and overwhelm competing factions. They’re really good at offensive pushes.
On the upside for those playing against them, Necrophage base units are weak and to evolve these units into truly powerful forces to be reckoned with, they need to scourge for a unique resource, Corpses, gained from razing cities and killing enemies.
And if the Aspects can grow coral all over the planet, the Necrophage can strip the land off its resources, denying them for other factions.
In short, the Necrophage is Endless Legend’s Tyranids or Zerg. But the Saiadhan hive here in Endless Legend 2 plays slightly different, yet should feel even more in service to the hive-mind all-consuming bug fantasy the faction is supposed to be, more than the original game did. At least on paper.
Amplitude provided longer post on the Endless Legend 2’s Necrophage, including comments on the changes they’ve made for this entry, on their forums here.
Endless Legend is releasing into Steam Early Access on PC. No specific release date yet, but it has now been narrowed down to sometime this summer (June-August).